1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sampler package for products such as cosmetics containing a fluid base such as water or other organic solvent. Examples of such products include, for example, liquid cosmetics, lotions, creams, gels, fragrances, ointments, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sampler packages for cosmetics are generally well known in the art. Such samplers typically place approximately a unit dose of a powder or wax based cosmetic product on a substrate such as paperboard or the like and are distributed to potential customers via store displays, inserts in magazines, mailers, etc. Additionally, the samplers are often packaged in an attractive display having artwork or copy print printed thereon while providing a transparent or translucent window through which the consumer can view the product to thereby choose the preferred shade or color. Cosmetics having a substantially solid or highly viscous consistency such as eyeshadow, pressed powder, and lipstick are particularly suitable for these methods of distribution, as the nature of the product allows for a long shelf life. Specifically, these types of cosmetic preparations are capable of remaining compositionally stable under normal indoor environmental conditions. Thus, sampler packages for such types of cosmetic products can be readily produced which can withstand the oftentimes rigorous conditions of shipment or storage such as being stacked in magazines, etc., and which may be imposed by the consumer.
However, when the product to be sampled is more fluid such as a liquid or gel, the prior art cosmetic samplers fall short in at least one of the aspects listed above. In particular, none of the prior art samplers provide a package for a liquid based product which is non-bulky for distribution as inserts, and which allows a consumer to view the shade of the product while preventing the solvent base from evaporating quickly through the packaging material or the sealing points therebetween. Additionally, none of the prior art packages for containing fluid samples of cosmetics are flexible enough to avoid breakage in shipment and yet are rigid enough to permit high speed insertion of the sampler into the carrier medium.
In one type of prior art sampler package disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,535,885 to Daniel et al., a liquid fragrance sample is disposed in a container made of gelatin which is designed to distribute compressive forces away from the portion containing the sample so as to avoid rupture during shipment or storage. This container, however, requires a relatively high ratio of material to product sample which becomes cumulatively bulky when placed as inserts in a stack of magazines or the like.
Cosmetic sampler packages made from composite laminates are capable of containing a greater amount of product relative to the amount of packaging material while also being flexible and much more compact than the package discussed above. Such packages usually contain a barrier layer made of metal foil in the composite laminates enclosing the product sample, since foil is known to be the most effective type of flexible barrier film against moisture and vapor transmission. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,518,790, 5,622,263, and 5,391,420 to Huber, Greenland, and Bootman et al., respectively, disclose the use of foil barrier layers in each of the composite laminates forming the aroma-tight and moisture sealed sampler packages for containing fluid based cosmetics. Packages which seal the product in foil laminates are particularly suitable for products such as perfumes or creams where the color or appearance of the product being sampled does not significantly affect the likelihood of purchase of the product, since the presence of the foil layer necessarily renders the package opaque.
The nature of certain cosmetics, however, such as foundation, is such that a consumer will only consider sampling, and subsequently purchasing, the cosmetic if the shade matches her skin tone or the product is otherwise to her liking. With these products, it is especially important that the sampler package provide a means for a consumer to view the product color or texture before actually opening the package so as to facilitate selection of the appropriate color. To achieve this result, sampler packages containing this type of cosmetic should include a transparent or translucent window through which the product may be viewed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,493,869 to Sweeney et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,941 to Gunderman et al., (the latter being assigned to the assignee of the present invention), disclose fragrance and cosmetic samplers having a transparent cover film or package to enable viewing of the product. However, the transparent films traditionally used for this purpose, such as polyesters or polyvinyl resin films, are not very effective barriers against moisture and vapor transmission. As a result, the product has a tendency to substantially dry out often before the consumer has an opportunity to sample the product. To avoid this problem, the fragrance sample in the Sweeney patent is enclosed in rupturable microcapsules dispersed in a binder layer on the surface of the transparent layer. Similarly, the sampler disclosed in the Gunderman patent is disclosed as being used for products having a high viscosity where rapid solvent evaporation is generally not a problem. Thus, as demonstrated by these two examples, traditional transparent cover films are only used when other means is provided to prevent the sample from drying out.
Samplers using nonmetallic polymeric barrier layers having improved moisture vapor barrier characteristics over the previous films have been attempted in the cosmetic industry. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,172 to Comyn et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,263 to Greenland, U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,420 to Bootman et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,161 to Whitaker each disclose the use of composite laminates having a polyvinylidene dichloride coated polymeric barrier layer. Although the PVDC coated films have a lower moisture vapor transmission rate than the other polymer films discussed above, such films still perform very poorly in preserving the compositional integrity of a fluid based product sample.
Another type of transparent film typically used as a moisture barrier is a SiOx coating which has a much lower moisture vapor transmission rate than the conventional films including PVDC coated films. Presently, SiOx is commonly used as a coating on PET bottles or containers. This material, however, is similar to a coating of glass, and is too rigid for use in insert-type cosmetic sampler packages which must withstand a certain degree of flexing and bending during handling. When the silane material is folded or flexed, the moisture vapor barrier properties are severely compromised due to fracturing or cracking of the silane coating.
It would be desirable to produce a sampler package for a cosmetic product which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art noted above, namely one which is relatively flexible and transparent or translucent and provides moisture vapor barrier qualities on par with that of sampler packages which seal the product entirely in foil-containing laminates.